Camper-Vanning in Iceland: Add to the Adventure

There’s just something so freeing about living in your ‘home.” No plans and no place to be–having the complete freedom to travel wherever you please, whenever you please. This is the beauty of the camper van. It can literally be your home and vehicle wrapped into one kooky, adventurous, colorfully painted package.

Looking for an alternative to the standard car rental and hotel option we stumbled upon KúKú Campers. Iceland has a plethora of accessible and inexpensive campsites located along the ring road, which allows travelers plenty of options for places to park their camper van or pitch a tent. We like to camp and find that tents can be quite cozy, but Iceland’s unpredictable weather and high probability of rain made us feel that a camper van was a better option. Our first adventure with KúKú Campers was in the summer, where the midnight sun and warmer temperatures were definitely an advantage.

In the summer months all of the camp grounds around Iceland are open and have restrooms, showers and (in some areas) even kitchens to use. While we didn’t know where we would end up each night, our trusty app maps.me highlighted all the camp grounds in our vicinity. The only snafu we ran into when we again rented with KúKú Campers in the winter months was that most of the camp sites were closed and that included the showers and bathrooms. That just means you’ll have to use nature’s bathroom when the visitors centers or gas stations aren’t open. During the winter months, having a camper van is very beneficial if you would like to search for the northern lights on your own.

Like us, you could drive around in search of them in your pajamas!

Find them, photograph them and when you’re tired just climb into your cozy sleeping bag. We spent multiple nights at the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon because the aurora was dancing through the sky with minimal cloud coverage.

Just be aware when you find a place to park for the evening that you are not trespassing anywhere. We recommend parking at one of the visitors centers–you won’t be the only ones. During the day, the visitors centers are open so you can use the restrooms.

THEIR EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE

KúKú Campers has beyond excellent customer service. Our initial inquiry was met with a speedy reply from a real person who really works there! Not someone from some large corporate office somewhere who you’ll never put a face to. Their reservation specialists are super helpful in accommodating your requests and will make sure to get you set up with the best camper van option for your trip. We have stayed in a Category A (AB & AA) camper van for 2 people and a Category C camper van for 4 (up to 5) people.

KúKú Campers offers up something incredible that some of its competitors do not: They will pick you up in Keflavik (either at the airport or at a hotel you are staying at) and they will allow you to drop off the camper van at the airport. These options, even with the extra cost of €60 (€120 total), put KúKú Campers at the top of our list. To top it all off there is no additional cost for extra drivers!

THEIR TRICKED OUT, UNIQUELY PAINTED CAMPERVANS

KúKú Campers has a large fleet of various sized camper vans. From a two person Renault Kangoo to the larger Ford Transit five person van, the choice of these typical vans or even a Ford F-250 or Land Rover Defender. They literally have all the sleeping arrangements one could ever need to choose from.

Choose the camper van that is right for you based on where you want to explore in Iceland as some of the vans are not able to drive on the F-roads. The real gem with these camper vans is that they are all uniquely painted with their own theme or design.

We made heads turn with their “Super Sheep” van and since then they have expanded their fleet with even more fancy vans to choose from. During our visits to Iceland it was fun spotting the other KúKú camper vans on the road and naturally we assumed that those travelers must be pretty rad too.

ALL THE COOL STUFF TO MAKE YOUR VAN MORE HOMEY

KúKú Campers offers tons of extra stuff to rent so that you don’t have to pack and bring it with you. We’ve rented sleeping bags, a heater (for the winter nights), a power inverter and a cooler. Fear not, they automatically supply each of their camper vans with all the cooking essentials (utensils, plates & bowls, a pot & pan and electric burner) so that you’ll never go hungry! In addition they include some trash bags and a dusting pan to keep your “home” clean. The five person van has an electric cooler, a sink and a water reservoir for cleaning dishes and freshening up.

With permission from the workers, we refilled our (removable) water reservoir from the water spigot on the back of the visitors center at the Glacier Lagoon.

YOUR SAFETY COMES FIRST

Traveling around Iceland in a camper van is no doubt awesome. The one concern that many travelers have during any trip is safety. Luckily, Iceland is easily one of the safest countries we’ve ever visited and we were never worried during our adventures there.

It’s so safe that for the first and only time we even picked up a hitchhiker!

YOU CAN WAKE UP TO VIEWS LIKE THIS

We chose KúKú Campers for all of the reasons we listed above and we think you should too! To book your camper van adventure in Iceland, visit KúKú Campers and select the camper van that is right for you! Their prices vary depending on the season and the size of the camper van.